Universally movable floor crane



2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

J. EVANS Filed May 20, 1940 Oct. 21, 1941.

UNIVERSALLY MOVABLE FLOOR CRANE Oct. 21, 1941, J. EVANS UNIVERSALLYMOVABLE FLOOR CRANE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed May 20, 1940 ATTORNEY.

. WW INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 21, 1941.

" UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE I noon charm v smfizifit fzz $6,143

/ 8 Claims. (Cl.212-141) Myinvention relates to improvements inuniversally movable floor cranes and it more especially consists of thefeatures pointed out in the annexed claims. l

The purpose of my invention is'toprovide a wheels serving to supportmost of the metal plates that are storage in a producing mill to freightcars through narrow passageways and restricted. spaces; that is providedwith means for adjustably positioning a pair of lifting plates todiiferent widths of sheets; that utilizes a plurality of hydraulic ramsfor raising the plates out of their storage position and lowering theminto final position in freight utilizes separate hydraulic means foradjusting the lifting Plates horizontally toward or away from eachother; that makes independent provision for each trailing wheel that itmay have independent movement up and down in suitable guideways; thatuses a worm geared hand wheel for steering the tractor wheel; and thatmay include any desired modification of the body or chassis structure.

This invention is related to my application, Serial No. 286,113, filedJuly 24, 1939, now Patent No. 2,202,650, granted May 28, 1940.

With these and other ends in view I illustrate in the accompanyingdrawings adaptation as will disclose the broad idea of the inventionwithout limiting myself to the specific details shown thereon anddescribed herein.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. section.

Fig. 3 is' a rear end elevation also showing parts in section.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached elevation of a supporting beam andrelated supporting plates.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of Fig. 4 on line 6-.

Fig. 6 is a detached elevation in section of a multiple piston ramshowing the pistons in their extended relation. 3

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6. showing the parts in theircollapsed relation.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail in section showing the drainage featurebetween and a casing.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic "flow sheet." 7

In using my invention I may adopt whatever equivalents of structure oralternatives of function that the exigencies of varyi g conditions may1,showinzpartsin '1 cars for shipment; that also a tubular pistonlocated is closed at 3.

demand without departing from the broad spirit of the invention.

Any desired form of body may be used. Its structure, in the main,comprises two sideportions I, leaving an open space! between them. Thefront end where the steering caster wheel is The side portions I may berelatively hollow and formed of side plates 4, top plates 5 and bottomplates 6. At the front end of these sides, to the rear of the partition3, one of the sides I may have a tank I for oil, and the other'side atank I for gasoline. for driving the tractor wheel 9 is mounted in frontof the partition I. The connection of this to the tractor wheel may beone of any conventional type, not shown in detail. In each one of thetwo sides L and R, there are two hydraulic front.

II is locatedat the Ilhere is a separate plunger in the pump foreach'ram. The plungers are all driven from a common crank shaft.

The construction of the rams l0 includes an outer cylinder or casing inwhich a tubular piston I2 is positioned. It has a flange l3. There is areduction in the inside diameter of the-casing so rams II. A suitablepump as to form a shoulder ll to act as a stop when the such instancesof V the two rear rams nel 12. A pair of channels on one flange it ofthe tubular piston l2 engages it. The inside of the tubular piston IIalso has a reduced diameter which forms a stop It for the upwardmovement of an inner piston it provided witha flange I! at its lowerend. This flange engages the shoulder It in the tubular piston l2. Oilis pumped into the casing below the tubular piston and the inner piston.The tubular piston not closed at its bottom end. Oil admitted againstboth pistons will raise them to approximately fifteen inches more orless until theflanse l3 engages the shoulder ll in the casing. A furtherinlet of oil under pressure will be exertedagainst the lowerend of theinner piston l6 thus raising it another fifteen inches more or lessuntil the flange I1 engages the shoulder IS. A release of pressure willpermit the pistons to drop into their lowest position.

There is a transverse beam l8 reaching from one side of the crane to theother directly above It. A similar beam II is placed above the twoforward rams It. At the end of each beam It on its lower face there is ashoe IS. A socket III in the upper end or an inner piston I.

There is a pair of cross heads 2| slidable -on each beam ll, toward oraway from each other.

Each cross head is attached to a depending chanside of the An engineshoe receives the crane has attached a bottom lifting plate 23. Aduplicate lifting plate 23 and channels 22 attached to a second pair ofcross heads 2| is positioned along the inside of the other half of theopen-ended body.

The cross heads 2|, slide to and fro on these supporting beams 18. Thesemay be of I-beam cross-section. Each one comprises a cage that surroundsthe I-beam. Beneath the bottom flange of the I-beam i8, a suitabletake-up gib 25 may be provided. Attached to the inside of each crosshead, there is a toothed rack 2i. A pinion 26 is positioned between apair of adjacent racks 24. The rack from one cross head engages thepinion 26 above its center and the rack from the other cross headengages the pinion beneath its center. A shaft 21 reaches from onetransverse beam I8 to the other. It carries a pinion 26 for each beamand at the front end of the shaft there is a toothed wheel 28 thatengages a rack 29 that is operated by a hydraulic cylinder 30, whichwhen oil under pressure is admitted to its one end will move the rack 29in one direction and when alternatively oil is admitted only to theother end of the cylinder, the rack 29 will move in the other direction.This to and fro movement of the rack, is imparted f to the racks 24 oneachtransverse beam I8. The operator has control of the oil admission tothe cylinder 30, for moving the lifting plates 23 nearer to each otheror farther apart as needed through the simple operation of a two-wayvalve,

positioned alongside the'operator seat, or elsewhere.

Instead of operating the tractor wheel to turn it in differentdirections on a vertical axis by means of a hand wheel as shown in myapplication referred to'above, I may use a worm gear yoke and engage itby a worm 32 to which a hand wheel 33 is attached. This arrangementrelieves the operator of any shocks that may be produced by the tractorwheel 9 engaging obstacles or any stresses that may be incurred whenturning the wheel on its vertical support while power is being applied.This arrangement absolutely locks the position of the wheel 9 in anyorientation in which it may be placed.

Each rear wheel 34 is supported ina pair of vsideplates 35 which arejoined together at the and thelinks are pivotally attached to the bodyso as to permit the wheel to have free up and 3! on the verticalextension of the caster wheel down movement. At the front of the wheeland also at its rear a cushioning spring 38 is 10- cated. These springs38 abut brackets 39 se-- cured on the inside of an outer body plate 4.The front end of the crane body may have a curved bumper plate ofconsiderable width.

The operation of my device is exceedingly simple. It is moved adjacentapile of sheets that are usually stored a short distance above the floorso that the open space 3 of the crane is moved endwise to receive thestacked sheets for the full length of the open part 2 of the body. Thelifting plates '23 are lowered to the floor by removing the oil pressurefrom rains is end then they are moved toward each other by the crossheads 2! so that the bottom lengthwise flange -il of each plate willpass under the pile of sheets, at one edge as directed by the operatorthrough the movement of the cross heads on the transverse beams.

By the operation of another valve oil under pressure is admitted to therams i0 which raises the lifting plates and the pile of sheets off fromits blocking and the entire load is transferred under the control of thedriver to the inside of a freight car, or otherwise, It is immaterialwhether the crane is moved forward or backward. Once it is in thedesired position to where the pack of sheets is to be deposited, theoperator releases the pressure from the rams l0 and the entire pack islowered into its final resting place and the lifting plates 23 are movedaway from under the pack and the crane is ready to proceed to thestorage space for another load.

There is a unique feature in my device which obviates the use of packingaround the pistons and the usual packing glands where the tubular pistonl2 leaves its casing and where the inner piston [6 leaves the tubularpiston l2. This is accomplished through the formation of an opening 42at the shoulder M of the casing to form a by-pass connected to a tubeleading back to the oil tank 1 to take care of any leakage that theremay be at this point. The tubular piston i2 at its shoulder [3 has anopening 44 from its inside leading to a passageway 43 formed lengthwisein its wall and terminating into an, outside opening 46, adjacent itsflanged end I3. This permits any leakage that might develop when theflanged end I! of the inner piston 16 engages the shoulder l5 of thetubular piston l2 to be directed into a downward passageway 43 and outto the oil tank I through the opening 45 in the side wall of the casing,

The two sides i of the body may be composed of vertical plates andtransverse plates top and bottom, to form a shell in which the gasolinetanks 8 and oil tanks 1 may be placed and an open space is provided forthe rear wheels 34. All the rams ID are also enclosed in this spaceexcepting the pistons when they project.

The body structure may be modified in many ways, consistent withengineering practice. Whatever changes that may be made they mustinclude cooperative structure which will transmit the weight of theproduct handled onto the steering wheel and the supporting wheelsregardless of chassis modifications.

WhatI claim is:

1. In a floor crane a body open at one end and closed at the other endforming two independent sides, a power-driven tractor wheel at thesteering end, means for orienting the tractor wheel as desired,independent supporting wheels one for each side of the open-ended body,a. pair of hydraulic rams positioned in each side, differential pistonsin the rains, a transverse beam for each pair of rams on opposite sidesof the open space of the body, lifting plates suspendedinpairs from thebeams. hydraulic means for raising and lowering the beams and th liftingplates, and separate hydraulic means for moving the lifting platestoward or away from each other.

2. A floor crane having a body with an elongated rear end openingpower-driven tractor wheel at the closed front end of the body, asupporting wheel for each side of the body, a pair of lifting plates inthe open portion of the body, mean-s for hydraulically andsimultaneously moving the plates toward or away from each other, andseparate hydraulic means supported by th body for simultaneously raisingand lowering the lifting plates said means being at each end of thelifting plates.

3. In universally movable floor cranes, an openended body, singletractor means and separate supporting means under th body, a pair oflifting plates positioned inside of the body opening, means for movingthe plates toward or away from each other simultaneously to engage anddisengage the underside of a pack of sheet metal plates, and separatehydraulic means for simultaneously raising and lowering the liftingplates at ach end of the sheet metal pack.

4. A floor crane comprising a body open at one end and closed at theother end, a single tractor means beneath the closed end of the body,separate supporting wheels in each portion of the body alongside thelengthwise opening therebe-- tween, a pair of rams in each side portionof the body, transvers beams associated with each transverse pair oframs, separate cross heads on each beam, depending channels from eachcross head, a lifting plate secured to a pair of channels so as toposition the plate parallel to the inside of the open body, hydraulicmeans for moving the cross heads toward or away from each other, andhydraulic means for raising or lowering the transverse beams with thesuspended lifting plates as desired.

5. A universally movable floor crane comprising an open-ended body, asingle power-driven tractor wheel at the closed end of the body, a pairof independently positioned supporting wheels near the rear of the body,lifting means within the open portion of the body, means forsimultaneously moving the lifting means on a horizontal plane, separatemeans for moving the lifting means on a vertical plane, means i'ororienting the position of the tractor wheej' :omprising a worm gearconnection and a hand wheel on the worm whereby the oriented position ofthe tractor wheel remains locked against accidental movement.

6. In a universally movable floor crane, a twosided open-ended body, apair of hydraulic rams on each side, a transverse beam resting upon thepistons of a pair of transversely located rams. a separate transversebeam positioned on a second set of transversely positioned pistons,means on the transverse means for supporting lifting plates said meanscomprising cross heads slidable on the beams, a separat rack from eachcross head on each beam, a shaft reaching from beam to beam and separatepinions on the shaft positioned between the respective racks wherebythrough the rotation of the shaft in either direction the cross headswill be correspondingly moved to shift the lifting plates horizontally.

JOHN EVAHS.

